ZTE Axon 30S with an under-display camera and otherwise potentially affordable-grade specs is set to debut in September 2022

The iPhone 14 Pro-series upgrade to Dynamic Island displays has led to speculation that it will spawn clones among future Android devices, which indeed seems to be vindicated already in light of what has just happened to the Xiaomi Civi line. However, ZTE is back with a timely reminder that there are other ways, dropping cut-outs for front-facing sensors entirely included.

The pioneering Axon series is now confirmed to have a new variant on the way. Oddly, its name suggests that ZTE is about to re-raise its 2021 iterations with this release, despite the existence of a third-gen under-display camera (UDC) flagship, the 40 Ultra.

That is admittedly a slight shame, given that smartphone's looks. ZTE's teasers hint that it intends to resurrect the 30-series camera hump in this upcoming S variant nonetheless. However, the OEM promises truly "Full-screen Power" in the same device, which may become accessible to more customers this time around on top of that.

The 30S has leaks as well as official trailers, which hint at a smaller 6.67-inch display, although it may be made of the same punch-hole-free AMOLED of the Axon 30 (albeit possibly without its 120Hz refresh rate. This UDC screen may be driven by a Snapdragon 7-series processor, perhaps even the newest 7 Gen 1 SoC.

The 30S may also have upgraded 66W charging for a 4,500mAh battery, have triple rear cameras with yet another 64MP main shooter and even a headphone jack.

Therefore, this might be ZTE's new and more mid-range reminder that UDC is also a major mobile device display trend that may well win out in the end. It may be unveiled as such on September 26, 2022.

Axon 40 Ultra: now on Amazon